June 20, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) was selected as the Republican lead for the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Fentanyl Policy Working Group.
“Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for people ages 18-45 in the United States, and we now know the Chinese Communist Party is the force behind that crisis,” said Rep. Newhouse.
Newhouse continues, “From funding the manufacturing and export of illicit fentanyl precursor chemicals to holding ownership interest in companies tied to drug trafficking, the CCP is not only an active participant in the drug trade—they are directly incentivizing it. While the CCP continues to economically enrich themselves at the expense of the health and safety of millions of Americans, it is imperative that the United States sends a clear message: the buck stops here. I applaud Chairman Moolenaar for his leadership on this issue and look forward to leading my fellow working group members in cracking down on the CCP’s influence here at home.”
Select Committee Chairman John Moolenaar said, “Earlier this spring, the Select Committee uncovered new evidence showing how the Chinese Communist Party directly fuels America’s fentanyl crisis. China has programs in place to reward companies with subsidies for exporting fentanyl and other drugs illegal under Chinese law to the United States. It is now abundantly clear that the CCP is not just turning a blind eye to the fentanyl crisis, it is causing it. That is why I am establishing a bipartisan Select Committee fentanyl working group to determine what must be done to seek justice for the hundreds of thousands of victims and hold the CCP responsible for funneling this poison into American communities. Congressmen Newhouse and Auchincloss bring valuable experience on this issue, and I am thankful for their leadership of our new working group.”
The Policy Working Group will be charged with raising awareness of the CCP’s role in the fentanyl crisis through Committee events and producing legislation to combat the threat. Its work will start immediately and will build upon the Select Committee’s April report which revealed, among other things, that the Chinese Communist Party is subsidizing the export of deadly fentanyl into the United States.